South Australia’s Bomber and Mel snared the Victorian home renovation by a point over last week’s leaders Team Queensland in a close finish.
Tied on 15 after House Rules judges Joe Snell and Wendy Moore delivered their scores, it was up to homeowners Lisa and Adam to split the teams: the win going to Team SA for its kitchen and entry.
Carpenter Adam, 31, couldn’t believe his eyes when he first entered their renovated Melbourne home while his fiancée, HR Manager Lisa, 29, burst into tears. “This is incredible. This is beyond anything I expected,” she said.
Judge Joe Snell said the renovation of the 1960’s weatherboard cottage delivered “some of the best ideas we have ever seen onHouse Rules” but also “some of the worst”.
After sitting in third place for the previous two renovations, Team SA impressed all with their “clever” styling in the entry and use of space in the kitchen; the extended bench a particular talking point.
Team Queensland was again ‘hit and miss’. Walking into the master bedroom Wendy said she felt like she’d “walked into a circus tent” but Joe said the ensuite vanity wall was “one of the best ideas ever”.
Not so Team WA. Its decision to close-off the toilet in the main bathroom between two frosted shower screens was ridiculed by both judges and competitors.
Candy and Ryan’s zone also received mixed reviews. Joe described the living room as “sophisticated” praising Team NSW’s choice of wallpaper and its bulkhead design, but criticised the “underdone” study.
Despite finishing in equal last place with WA, Team Tassie avoided another week in the tent after host Johanna Griggs announced the teams were heading to the Apple Isle for the next home renovation.
Victorian homeowners Lisa and Adam scored the teams out of 10 as follows:
SA Bomber & Mel (kitchen and entry) 8
QLD Maddi & Lloyd (master bedroom, ensuite, walk-in robe) 7
NSW Candy & Ryan (living room and study) 6
WA Carole & Russell (dining room, bathroom, deck) 6
TAS Brooke &Grant (guest bedroom and laundry) 5
The final tally after the judges scores were added is:
With a wedding to save for and the largest mortgage in the competition ($520,000), finances are tight for Adam and Lisa. The couple – who hope to start a family soon – were delighted with the life-changing makeover. “I walked in and was just blown away,” Lisa told contestants. “It was just divine. It’s our future and it means the world to us.”
Tomorrow night’s renovation in Tasmania promises to be the toughest in the show’s history. The challenge is to turn Brooke and Grant’s tiny cottage into a spacious home for nine!
